Cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, congestive heart failure and other cerebro- or peripheral vascular diseases are a leading risk factor and a major cause of death worldwide. Recently, trends have shown post-menopausal women to be at a greater risk than previously thought. It is now generally acknowledged that after menopause, protection from vascular disease slowly dwindles over time and by the seventh and eighth decade of life even approaches the frequency found in men. A number of ongoing studies have and are in the process of evaluating this aspect of women's health and determining recommended courses of therapy which may be effective in preventing or treating post-menopausal women who suffer from vascular diseases.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been widely used, but has not always been effective. In fact, some studies have suggested increased risks for cancer and vascular conditions when HRT compositions have been administered. Thus, there is a definite need for an effective treatment for vascular disease in post-menopausal women, which has heretofore not been met.
Despite the current approaches for the treatment or prevention of vascular conditions in post-menopausal women, there remains a need in the art for improved compositions and treatments for vascular conditions in post-menopausal women.